The Song of Names

Nine-year-old Martin Simmonds first meets young Polish violin prodigy Dovidl Rapoport in 1939, when Martin’s family take Dovidl into the safety of their bohemian North London home. Dovidl and Martin become closer than brothers, though their friendship is laced with envy, compounded by the interest Martin’s music impresario father Mortimer takes in Dovidl, who becomes Mortimer’s young protégé. Under Mortimer’s supervision, Dovidl is given the best possible training so that when the time comes for Dovidl’s highly anticipated debut at Carnegie Hall, the press have been whipped into a frenzy. What happens next changes Martin’s life forever…

Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Norman Lebrecht, winner of the 2002 Whitbread Best First Novel Award, THE SONG OF NAMES is a deeply moving story about betrayal, friendship, faith and the end of an era.